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Our Issues

Long-Term Recovery - After disasters, ISD specializes in long-term recovery. We work with companies and communities on:

Needs assessments

Rural and low income community technical assistance and capacity building

Visioning, planning, and goal-setting

Small business, entrepreneurial base, and workforce development

Community economic development policy support

Resilient community evaluations and recommendations

Gap financing

Public-Private Partnership Facilitation

Resilience - Every community has weaknesses and vulnerabilities. ISD works with government leaders, nonprofit and business executives, and academics to capture best practices, develop strategies, identify needed investments, and build networks to become Resilience Ready.

Transformation - (akathe Future of Business and Innovation) -- we are in the early stages of what is sometimes known as the fourth Industrial Revolution or the Digital Revolution. The future of economic growth is predicated on innovation and creativity, and the future of social progress is predicated on this innovation and creativity being diffused and accessible to as many as people as possible. Businesses spend more money philanthropically on education than any other subject; they spend over $240 billion in R&D, and the entire $200 billion advertising and marketing industry alone depends on creativity. However, while there are many local success stories, the US continues to drop in global innovation, science, and math rankings. ISD's Education, Science, Culture and Business Network is designed to bring together leading experts across these disciplines to develop projects, campaigns, and policy recommendations to secure the future of the U.S. and expand its inclusiveness and accessibility.

Our Offerings

For Business:

Community Investment Strategies

Project Management

Storytelling, Video Documentation

Volunteer Support

Evaluation

For Communities and Policy Makers:

Strategic Plans

Needs Assessments

Capacity Building

Technical Assistance

Public-Private Partnership Facilitation

“The future is here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.”

WILLIAM GIBSON

Our Story

The Institute for Sustainable Development was founded in the North Carolina Research Triangle in 2007 by a unique partnership of academic, business and philanthropic leaders, which included Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Greater Durham Chambers of Commerce, and the Fenwick Foundation. The Institute has trained more than 200 chamber of commerce executives across the United States, and 160 small businesses and non-profits in twelve U.S. states.

In July 2017, the Institute started a new chapter to focus on more long-term issues affecting disaster recovery, resilience, and the future. ISD continues to build on its legacy of bringing together business, academic, and other thought leaders to promote partnerships, policies, and projects that promote (a) community resilience and disaster recovery, and (b) long-term community transformation based on applied innovation and sustainable development principles.

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Acknowledgments

The Institute for Sustainable Development would like to acknowledge the following companies and organizations for their commitment to solving problems, promoting partnerships, and investing in long-term economic development and social progress:

AvalonBay

Bechtel

California Resiliency Alliance

Fannie Mae

Google

Guardian Insurance

NIMSAT - University of Louisiana - Lafayette

Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association

Splunk

Texas Association of Business

Wells Fargo

and over 300 other companies, organizations, and government agencies that have participated in one or more of ISD's briefings, projects or programs since July of last year.